GAILEY STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE
Route Info | Boats | Map overview of route | Cruising Notes | Maps & Guides | Links | Pub Guide
You can do this route from :
Gailey Wharf.
A rural route through the Staffordshire countryside, along the quiet stretches of the Shropshire Union Canal, past small villages and Canalside pubs. Only 2 locks each way so a very easy route to do!
Route Info
Read our cruising notes to help you plan your canal boat holiday
Read our cruising notes.
Cruising Notes
There is an attractive round Toll-keepers watch tower just above the lock, with a small canal shop on the ground floor.
The canal is very twisting through the countryside passing a very busy marina at Hatherton , the Fox & Anchor Inn is canalside at bridge 71 and as it is 2 hours cruising to here it might be a good place to moor up for the night.
2 Hours cruising to here
Day 2
Continue south to Autherley Junction, the M54 makes a brief intrusion but you soon pass under & away from from the rumble of traffic.
The Shropshire Union canal, or The Shroppie, starts the journey at Autherley Junction (turn sharp right) in the outskirts of Wolverhampton, known to the working boatmen as “Cut End” due to it being where the Shroppie met the much older Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal,Autherley Junction was once a busy place with workshops, a toll office and stables, today Autherley has a boatyard with a hire fleet and a club house. Many of the original buildings still exist and it is home to Bridge #1 on the Shroppie which is an original design by Thomas Telford. There is also the original shallow stop lock where Sam Lomas used to control boat movement and issue toll tickets. The lock has a drop of 1 inch, meaning no drop at all, so was purely used for Lomas's financial motives. Autherley is very attractive and full of canal history and it is worth giving yourself some time to look around!
We soon leave Wolverhampton behind and head northwards through a series of rocky cuttings, passing a disused airfield, a boat club and then traversing under the M54 motorway which is one of the only main roads that the canal encounters for around 50 miles when it reaches Chester.
Chillington Hall, close to the village of Brewood (pronounced Brood), is home to the “Fancy Bridge” named by the workers who built the Shroppie. Powerful landowners demanded grand and ornamental bridges where the canal crossed their properties and this is a fine example of such work. A tree lined avenue crosses the canal here leading up to Chillington Hall which is now a venue for Weddings. Just a short distance upstream from Chillington Hall is Brewood and you will find shops, pubs and restaurants close at hand and there is also a boatyard all of which should meet any of your requirements. Just beyond Brewood you will see the Belvide Reservoir which supplies water for the canal. A very short distance from there is a cast iron aqueduct, the Stretton Aqueduct, which was built in 1832.
It is used to cross the A5 Watling Street and take you onwards to Wheaton Aston where you will find the first lock on the Shroppie other than the stop lock at Autherley. The Wheaton Aston lock is unique by way of being the only singular lock on the canal route as the other locks are bunched together in "flights". This made for quicker working by the boat people because locks could be easily prepared in advance of the boats. At Wheaton Aston you will find a waterside garage that offers some useful facilities for boaters and a canalside pub. Wheaton Aston also has a few basic supplies, and you need to moor up for the night here and turn your boat around ready for the journey home.
It is 4.75 hours cruising to here
Day 3
Day 4
Cruise back to Gailey marina
NB: This route has been provided as a guide only. Information may become inaccurate or out of date. You should always check with the marina that the route is possible within your time frame, current weather conditions and canal stoppages etc.
Boats
Maps and Guides
Useful Links
Link Description | Website | Telephone |
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Pub Guide
Pubs available on this canal route:-
Pub Name | Pub Address | Distance from Gailey | More Info | |
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The Spread Eagle | Wantling Street, Gailey ST19 5PN | 0.57 Miles | Full Details | |
The Fox And Anchor | Brewood Road, Cross Green WV10 7PW | 2.68 Miles | Full Details | |
The Littleton Arms | St Michaels Square, Penkridge ST19 5AL | 2.29 Miles | Full Details | |
The Picture House | Bridge Street, Stafford ST16 2HL | 7.75 Miles | Full Details | |
The Radford Bank Inn | Radford Bank, Stafford ST17 4PG | 7.08 Miles | Full Details | |
Vine Hotel | Salter Street, Stafford ST16 2JU | 8.02 Miles | Full Details | |
The Junction Inn | Norbury Junction, Norbury ST20 0PN | 10.92 Miles | Full Details | |
The Greyhound Inn | Burston ST18 0DR | 12.22 Miles | Full Details |
NB: Distances are as the crow flies and will vary for actual canal boating travel distance.
The information above is provided in good faith to assist you with planning your canal boat holiday. Information accuracy cannot be guaranteed, however, if you do see something that needs updating, please don't hesitate to contact us.